To scale the skies : the story of Group Captain J.C. 'Johnny' Wells DFC & Bar / Peter Cornwell.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Cover; title; contents; abbreviations; introduction; 1 sheringham shannocks; 2 trenchard brat; 3 bircham newton; 4 tyro pilot; 5 middle east air force; 6 on active service; 7 target towing; 8 flying instructor; 9 spitfire pilot; 10 duxford typhoon wing; 11 frontline manston; 12 'display' leader; 13 staff wallah; 14 typhoon wing leader; 15 peacetime command; 16 raf gutersloh; 17 station commander; 18 baghdad; epilogue; appendix i aircraft flown; appendix ii no 84 group 2taf; bibliography; copyright.

With humble beginnings as an RAF apprentice, Johnny Wells progressed to pilot and rose to the higher echelons of command at the Air Ministry. From idyllic pre-war training, he would fly bombers against rebels over Iraq, combat Fw190s over England in the newly introduced and equally dangerous Typhoon; he would undertake hazardous low-level anti-shipping strikes in the English Channel, as well as train-busting sorties over occupied territory at night and close-support ground-attack operations across northern Europe following D-Day. Indeed, Wells ended the Second World War as one of the most succ